Later text
So also, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Intertextuality Pair
Quotation
Later text
So also, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Earlier text
Genesis 15:6BSB
Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
Earlier text
After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." But Abram replied, "O Lord GOD, what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" Abram continued, "Behold, You have given me no offspring, so a servant in my household will be my heir." Then the word of the LORD came to Abram, saying, "This one will not be your heir, but one who comes from your own body will be your heir." And the LORD took him outside and said, "Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able." Then He told him, "So shall your offspring be."
Paul's logic builds on three unstated assumptions: (1) Abraham's believing concerned God's promise of a miraculous son; (2) faith and works are mutually exclusive—if Abraham's righteousness came through faith, it couldn't come through law-works (since Sinaitic law hadn't yet been given); (3) the Holy Spirit was at work in Abraham's life. This third assumption is crucial yet unproven—Paul simply assumes his audience acknowledges the Spirit-Abraham connection. Paul establishes faith, not works, as the means of righteousness, contrasting sharply with Jewish tradition that tied Genesis 15:6 to Abraham's faithful obedience, particularly the Aqedah. Paul dissociates the Abrahamic promise from law and law-works, exploding any attempt to use Abraham as exemplar for circumcision and law-observance.